January 26-The China Action for the Year of Biodiversity (2010) was unveiled in Beijing jointly by Chinese Environmental Minister Zhou Shengxian and UN Resident Coordinator in China, Mr. Khalid Malik. In his speech, Minister Zhou remarked that as a contracting state to the Convention on Biological Diversity, China has attached great importance to this issue, setting up the plan for China Action. This year, a series of actions will be carried out to display China's achievement in protecting biodiversity, raise public awareness, encourage extensive social participation, and promote the conservation on global biodiversity, in order to accomplish sustainable development of human beings.
In 2006, according to the suggestions by the assembly of contracting parties of the Convention, the UN Assembly adopted the 61/203 Resolution, declaring 2010 to be the Year for International Biodiversity. On January 11, the launching ceremony of the Year of International Biodiversity was held in Berlin, Germany. In the coming 12 months, UN will hold a series of celebrations under the theme of Biodiversity is life, Biodiversity is our life .
China joined in the Convention in 1993, followed by the release of the Action Plan on the Protection of Biological Diversity of China. A coordination team was established by 24 relevant departments to implement the Convention in China, playing a significant role in the negotiation of the Convention and achieving remarkable accomplishment in the conservation of biodiversity. In the past 17 years, China has set up the basic system of law on biodiversity, implemented major projects to turn farmland and pasture back into forests, grassland and lakes, conserved natural forests, wild animals and plants, and set up natural reserves. The China Summary Action Programme for Living Aquatic Resources Conservation and the National Programme for biological Species Resource Conservation and Management have been worked out to provide effective protection on 85% land natural bio-system, 47% natural wetland, 20% wild forests, most natural sites, 65% community types of higher plants, and most state-protected rare and endangered wild animals and plants.
China is one of the 12 countries in the world with the richest biodiversity, and also the one of the eight major origins of agricultural crops and the four major origins of cultivated plants. Minister Zhou acknowledged that China was facing huge pressure and challenges on biodiversity conservation, which was of great significance to the country. The diminishing trend cannot be reversed in a short time, while the habitats of some important species are threatened, causing losses in bio-genetic resources. This year, China will take the opportunity of the event to revise and release the national Action Programme, coordinate the relationship between development and biodiversity, enhance public participation, improve international cooperation, so as to work hard towards the conservation and sustained utilization of biodiversity proposed by the Convention as well as the fair and equal sharing of relevant benefits. The Minister said that biodiversity was the foundation for human survival and development, thus, fell into the responsibility to the whole world. He suggested that everyone should work together to protect the mother earth to maintain the biodiversity of our world.
